During 2015/16, Harbour Digital Media has worked with the manufacturing sector in the Vancouver Island/Coastal region to establish a labour market partnership to address training and development issues that impact the region’s manufacturers and affect their productivity and growth. The partnership model and methodology that has emerged from the VI/Coastal region project has demonstrated that industry-led initiatives have the potential to address unmet training and development needs and create the environment that is necessary for industry and job growth.

The purposes of the North Central BC Manufacturing Labour Market Partnership are to:

1. Engage manufacturers in two north central BC economic development regions (Cariboo and Nechako) in a dialogue concerning training and development needs. In addition to working with existing networks and organizations in the northern regions this will involve direct discussions with manufacturers in key north central manufacturing sub-sectors such as the value-added wood industry.

2. Establish an advisory board or council that will provide guidance and advice for the partnership and will provide the necessary linkages to key industry representatives within communities across north central BC. This approach, which has been implemented successfully in the VI/Coastal Region, will enable the partnership to expand across the region and will be used to identify and validate regional and sectoral training and development needs and interests.